• UAE's Foreign Minister with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad welcomed UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Damascus on Wednesday to discuss means of strengthening bilateral ties, including in economy and trade, state Syrian media reported.

Al-Assad praised the UAE's role in the region and its historical significance for Syria, SANA news agency reported.

The UAE Foreign Minister conveyed the Emirati President's greetings to Al-Assad and confirmed his country's willingness to continue cooperating with Damascus on different issues. Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has also reaffirmed the UAE’s support for Syria's sovereignty and stability.  

The Emirati diplomat was accompanied by a delegation of senior officials, including Ali bin Hammad Shamsi, the deputy chief of the UAE's national security council, and Saeed Mubarak Hajri, the Emirati assistant minister of foreign affairs for economic and trade affairs.

It is worth noting that Al-Assad met Dubai's ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum in Dubai last March, on his first visit to an Arab state since the war on Syria started in 2011, and met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Al-Assad and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince discussed the two nations' fraternal relations, as well as the prospects for fostering cooperation and joint coordination to achieve their common interests and contribute to the consolidation of security, stability, and peace in the Arab region and the Middle East.

Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince emphasized that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security and that the UAE is eager to cement ties with it in order to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people for stability and progress.